Process of hardening oil.



y c. ELLIS. PROCESS 0F HARDENING OIL.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2. 1916. 1,294,06, Patented 11611111, 1919.

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" tt j oil and catalyzer fare sn" nen -CAJRLETON ELLIS, F MOTCLIB., NEW JERSEY.

rnocnssor nannnn'lne ein menaces.

To all fwhom t may concern: i

Be it known that 1, CARLETON ELLIS, a citizen of the United States, and 'a resident -o Montclair, in the county of Essex and i State of New Jersey, have invented certain i new and useful improvements in Processes of Hardening Oil, of which the following is aspeciication. This invention relates toa method of lo hydrogenating fatty oils or other similar treatmentwith gases especially in the presenceof catalytic material and relates par' Aticularly to the hydrogenation of comparatively thin layers of oil by the rapid circula- 15 tion therethrough of a strongcurrent of hyl 25 organization of apparatus adapted for carrying out the process hereof, and Fig. 2 shows a similar view of a modified form of apparatus. L

Vlln Fig. 1 of the drawings 1 is a hori so zontal cylindrical tank, the upper part of which is shown in longitudinal elevation and the lower part is shown in longitudinal seo- A tion, 2 is 1a coil arranged for the admission of steam .or hot oil for heating the contents y.tt'wof the tank as may be desired and also for coollng purposes by the circulation of cold water therethrough when the temperature increases beyond the desiredpoint duc `to exothermip reactions taking place inthe 4o oil during the hydrcgenation process.

may be in the form of a single pipe as shown or preferably when using tanks of considerable length 4t pipes terminating at diferent points in the bottom of the hydrogenating tank, each terminus being equipped with a rose or simi-v lar device so that the entire body of oil is thoroughly stirred by the fairlyuniform to passage of theA hyrogen gastherethrough- 5 is ablo'wis a tank the driving pulley in whichtank the 4 is a .dome for collecting gases.

' o pipe 'iit'tedwithavalve. 6

fitted with an agitator, of which is shown at 7,

Specification of Letters Patent. j. Application led February 2, 1916. Serial No.

purifiers 17, 1 8 land 19 and a positive introduced' the hydrogen gas Vand this natcd to "la large extent .before the unused maybe formed ofa number ofthese `circumstances mixed 'and v are run rateatea renti, raie. 75,769. I

therefrom by the pipe 8 into the tank 1. The pipe 9 leads from the top of the dome 4 and communicateswith the `pipes 10 and 15.V rEheV pipe 10 communicates directly with the pump 12. The pipe serves to connect the pipe 9 with the heat regenerator 14; The outlet from 12 communicates with the regenerator by the plpe 13. The pipe 16,

extends to the from the latter the pipe communicates with the regenerathe pumpl tor 14.. intermediate the pipe 2O is a pump I 21'wh1ch may be of the positive.- pressure type' as indicated or'may be a steam pump similar to that shown at l12. 1n place of using a steam pumpsuch as the pump 12, pressure blower likewise may be used at that' point. The regenerator'14 consists of va shell or cylindrical chamber inclosing the pipe through which the .cold hydrogen enters the treating tank The hot hydrogen is' allowed to'low throughv the annular spacebetween' this pipeand the cylindricaljacket thereby heating thegas about to enter the tank 1.

-The purifiers are lled with' caustic soda solution or lumps of dry caustic soda or soda lime and the like.- caustic soda may be' used inthe tank 17, va solution of 19 may contain calcium. chlorid or 'soda iime for-'drying purposes. A considerable amount ofwater l1s removed from the oil by should he climihydrogen is vreturned by the cyclic circuit. A comparatively in the tank land divided nickel is introduced or themi'xture ypermanganate of potash `may be. into the tank 18and the tankv A solution of.

titl) thin layer of oil is placed, into this oil the requisite amountfof vcatalytic material such' as n'ely- 7 3 is a distri-buter for hydrogen gas which 'of oil and catalyzeri's run-in tothe tank from the tank narily should not beiinore-.than' about two Vfeet inV thickness, in order to secure the full benefit of the hydrogen treatment'. lllnderA a''comparatively' low hydrogen head or maintain.Y the ydrogen` current at `rapid' travel through Ithe' oil so that hydrogenation takes me I ict

place quicklyandedetively and Without the dimullis attendant on theuse of strong pressumsfophydmgem During the rst treated *with hydrogen, ywater andA other hour orsopthat vthe oil is being f lll@ ' anda considerable-proportion of the hydrol lyzer is liable to be affected and the opera-k products are formed in considerable amount gen gas is shunte'd through the,puriers 17, 18 and 19. This gas is cooled'lby purification and on its return is passed through the regenerator thereby heating` it up to the req uisite temperature. l Thus hot 'instead of coldl hydrogen enters the body of oil and this heating is desirable when hydrogenating Ishallow layers of oil because hydrogen is a poor conductor of heat and when traveling as a strong current through a body of the oil may well pass entirely through the -oil without becoming heated suiiiclently toV react readily. Y

A portion of the hydrogen therefore is preferably circulated through the puriers while another portion may go directly back to the hydrogen tank, the division of the gases depending upon the stage of the opera-I tion and consequent degree of impurity.y A certain Small impurity does no.,ha1m but when it becomes larger in amount the catati on hindered.

vWhen it is not desired to use the regenwhich is much less than the diameter of the tank and to locate in different parts of the bottomv of the tank a number of distributers so that a comparatively' thin layer of the oil, ordinarily not more than two to four feet,

f is treated in this manner. v

'Referring now to Fig. 2, the tankBl pro.- vided with steam heating coil 32 may berv f used, the hydrogen being introduced through pipe 33, perforated as illustrated. This tank may be provided with a dome 34, an exhaust pipe, 35, oil inlet 38. 39 represents the outlet for unabsorbed hydrogen, which after pass- .ir-.g through'a purifying and drying system,

as in Fig, 1, may be again introduced at 33. An oil draw off pipe is shown at 40. The treatment lof a'body of substantially greater breadth than height lovercomes any undesirablefoaming or puking while at `the. same time giving good gas contact. 'Fur-.

thermore the quantity of oil treated is independent of the depth or height of the oil layer, which is mostadvantageous. The entirebody of gas may be vpurified a continuous manner or any part thereof. Y What l claim is i. The process of treating oil which com@ prises clrculating a current of hydrogen gas through a comparatively shallow layer of a fatty oil containing a finely-'divided catalyrzer, in collecting the unabsorbed gas, in passingr a portion thereofthrough a purifying agent,A in combining the purified portion with the residual -iunpuried portion and in passing the mixture as a cyclic current 'through said layer of fatty oil.

2. The process of treating oil which comprises circulating a current of hydrogen gas through a comparatively shallow'layei` of afatty oil containing a finely-divided cata# lyzer, in collecting the'unabsorbed gas, in'

passing a portion thereof through a purifying agent, in combining the purified portion with the residual unpurified portion, in preheating the vmixture and in passing said 'mixture as a cyclic current through said layer of fatty oil. i Y

3'. The process of treating oil which clomprises circulating a current of hydrogen gas through a body of a fatty `oil containing a finely-divided catalyzer, thebreadth of said body being substantially greater Vthan the height thereof, in collecting the unabsorbed gas and in passing a portion through a purifying agent,v in. combining the puried portion .with the residual unpuriied portion and in passing the'mixture as a cyclic current through the layer of# fatty oil. l

4. The processy of treating a .bulklof oil which comprises subjecting the same to the action of ,hydrogen-containing gas in the presence of the catalyzer, drawing olf the unabsorbed gasand reintroducing same into the oil, dryingfand 4purifying a relatively A' large part of the hydrogen-containing gas` so withdrawn and returned during'the irst part of theoperation,`and purifying 'and'.

drying not more than av small partlthereof during the later stages of the process.

5. In the hydrogenation 'of a bulk'of oily; i

material by circulating a hydrogen containing gas in-contact therewith, in the presence.of the catalyzer, step of drying and purifying a relatively large part of the hydrogen so circulated during that part of. the process whereconsiderablc quantities of Y AWater are formed, and drying and purifying not more than a smallportion of the hydrogen so circulated durin are formed.

viii-5 that part of the 1- process wherein only sma l amounts o f water cantaron Ennis. 

